Holy Land earthquake causes panic but no serious damage or injuries

Published: 2004-02-11

JERUSALEM (CNS) -- An earthquake that passed through the Holy Land for 20 seconds caused panic but no serious damage or injuries. The earthquake, magnitude 5.0, rumbled through parts of Israel, the Palestinian territories and neighboring countries Feb. 11. The epicenter of the earthquake was in the northern Dead Sea area, and tremors were felt in Lebanon and Jordan, where frightened residents ran into the streets. Father Majdi al-Siryani, parish priest in Beit Sahour, West Bank, made rounds of the area schools and churches and said there had been no damage, although the school children were in a panic. "People were on the streets crying. It was scary," he said. "But everything is OK." Melkite Father Emile Shoufani, director of St. Joseph Seminary and High School in Nazareth, said that the quake was felt slightly in the north. Students were in the schoolyard at the time of the quake and did not notice it, he said.

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